Little League: Poway National Cubs win city championship

The Poway National Little League Cubs never gave up during the regular season and they were not about to start Tuesday night.

In the fifth inning, down by two runs with two outs, the Cubs rallied for seven runs and went on to beat the Poway American Little League Red Sox 10-5 in the Majors Poway City Championship game at Poway National Little League Field.

The Cubs finished the regular season in third place with an 11-10 record, but made an amazing run through the PNLL tournament to advance to the city championship game.

“We had a difficult season and lost a lot of key players along the way,” Cubs coach Kelly Jones said. “We had a great staff and the coaches always gave the kids inspiration.”

Cubs starting pitcher Brenden Trachsel struck out six batters and went 3-for-3 at the plate, including a solo home run to lead off the second inning and an RBI double in part of the huge fifth-inning rally.

The Red Sox took the momentum early, when pitcher Robby Williams crushed a three-run homer over the centerfield wall, the deepest part of the field. Williams also managed to punch out six batters on the mound, but it wasn’t enough to slow down the streaking Cubs.

Curran Williamson and Cole Simpson delivered at the plate for the Cubs. Williamson went 2-for-3 with an RBI double while Simpson finished off the night with two singles and two RBIs. Alec Jones and Kyle Nevin both made heads up plays on the base paths and in the field to help push the Cubs to victory.

The team play and tenacity of the Cubs combined with an eight-hit rally and some amazing defensive stops throughout the game allowed them to walk off the field with the coveted Poway City Championship trophy in hand.

“With an average record, the kids really peaked at the right time of the season,” Jones said. “The kids really improved 150-percent this season.”

Despite the loss, the Red Sox turned in a great season. They went 16-8 and finished in first place in the PALL standings.

The Poway American Little League Minor A Athletics defeated the Poway National Little League Reds 10-5 Tuesday to capture the Poway City Minor A title for the second straight year.